United States of Indonesia

The United States of Indonesia was a short-lived country that came into being after the Netherlands gave up control of the Dutch East Indies in 1949. This happened after a four-year struggle between Indonesian leaders who wanted their own country and the Netherlands, which had ruled the area for many years. On December 27, 1949, during the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, the Netherlands officially handed over power to this new federal state, called the RIS or RUSI.

This new country was made up of several smaller states that worked together under one government. However, it did not last very long. Less than a year later, in 1950, the United States of Indonesia changed into a single, unified country known as the Republic of Indonesia. This change made the country simpler to govern and brought all its parts together under one system. The United States of Indonesia was an important step in Indonesia's journey to becoming the large and independent nation it is today.

Background

See also: Indonesian War of Independence, Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, and United Nations Security Council Resolution 67

In 1942, Japanese forces took control of the Dutch East Indies, pushing out the Dutch rulers. When Japan surrendered in 1945, Indonesia’s leader, Sukarno, announced Indonesia’s independence. The Dutch wanted to take back control but faced resistance.

After several talks and some fighting, the Dutch agreed to let Indonesia become independent. On December 27, 1949, they handed over control to the United States of Indonesia, though they kept one area called Western New Guinea. Many Indonesians felt the Dutch were trying to split the country into smaller parts.

Governance

The United States of Indonesia had a legislature with two parts. The People's Representative Council included 50 representatives from the Republic of Indonesia and 100 from different states based on their populations. The Senate had two members from each state, totaling 32 members. The country was led by a cabinet of 16 people, with Prime Minister Hatta at the head. All of this followed the Federal Constitution of 1949.

Main article: List of members of the Senate of the United States of Indonesia

Constituent entities

The United States of Indonesia was made up of sixteen main parts. Seven of these were called states, with the largest being the Republic of Indonesia, which covered parts of Java and Sumatra and had more than 31 million people. The other nine parts were areas that used to be ruled directly by the Dutch. These areas had populations ranging from 100,000 to 11 million people. There were also some smaller groups included, but they were not considered big enough to be separate political areas on their own.

Dissolution

Many Indonesians did not like the idea of a federal system because it reminded them of colonialism. They felt it was not well-connected and might cause some areas to leave. Also, the leaders in some areas were seen as too friendly with the Dutch. There were not enough shared traditions between different groups.

In early 1950, most parts of the United States of Indonesia joined together into one group called the Republic of Indonesia. By May, the last two areas also agreed to join. On August 17, 1950, President Sukarno officially ended the United States of Indonesia and started the unitary Republic of Indonesia.